FOI Bill Is Good For Kwara- KMC Women Coordinator
Abdulmaliq Mopelola Bashir is the Coordinator of Women Wing, Kwara Must Change (KMC). She is a Good Governance Advocate and Community Development Expert. Abdulmaliq Mopelola worked as one of the volunteers at CLEEN Foundation. In an exclusive interview with FactualTimes on #OTOGEaYearAfter, She noted that Freedom of Information bill is good for Kwara State and will promote transparency.
You are one of the key stakeholders in the Otoge struggle and to the glory of God, the struggle changed the political narrative in the state. Reflecting on the years of struggle, what can you say about it?
The struggle has been full of ups and downs. You know, when you struggle to take power from a set of people, it is always full of hurdles and along the line, we were able to cross it with prayers, patient and the support of the masses. We did the little we can do because we can only do little, It’s only the Almighty God that has crowned our effort, that’s just what I can say. If I start talking about the struggle now it will take me some hours but we worked on people psychic. We used the media, mostly we used media because media is the weapon that one can use to achieve aims and objectives once you set out your agenda. We make use of the media especially WhatsApp and Facebook at Kwara Must Change.
I am a radical. You know the environment usually produce radicals. I’ve always been a bit radical. Even as a young girl, I don’t take things I am not comfortable with. I wasn’t really a baby at the stage of Baba Saraki political sojourn in Kwara state but the awareness is there. Though I may not be of age, I have this gift in me that when I perceive oppression, there is a way my system will reject it.
When I was growing up, maybe that kind 6 years, he [Late Olushola Saraki] used to bring half a tin of rice, beans, and [cassava flour] to my family house. I am Alanamu from Kwara central. I will look at these things that what can we do with all these things. Rice is not up to a tin…I have this bottle up emotion in me, that is Baba Saraki I am talking about. He wasn’t really leading us, he was driving. Though I was a baby I had this awareness that he was driving us. He was not the best for us.
So, from that time, I have been nursing this idea, I have always been a deviant. I don’t follow the rules as such especially when it comes to politics because I always see beyond what others are seeing. And God so good, we were able to team up with like-minds because the struggle of Otoge is not the work of a single person. Nobody can claim glory for it. There were so many people from diverse backgrounds. Even those who were not Kwarans joined in it to ensure that the Kwara state is retrieved from those slave masters. We went through a lot of struggle. I am gifted when it comes to writing and the idea is always there.
On the issue of writing, the Kwara Must Change created awareness about this what past government are doing well. So what can you say about the struggle of Kwara Must Change?
Kwara Must Change as an entity, we are a special breed of people. People don’t understand us when we say we are a pro-democracy group. The difference between the pro-democracy group and a political party is a thin line. It is the duty of a pro-democracy group to team up with a political party that presents a candidate that is good. The journey of this Otoge started with Ajuloopin’s election in Irepodun/Isin/Ekiti/Oke-ero Federal Constituency. I was in Omuaran. I had to tell my family, please allow me to travel because I need to be there. It was that election that gave the signal that indeed, Kwara state can be dethroned from the slave masters. I was there for four days sponsored by Kwara Must Change. There was no hotel. I just have to make do with the available space. Aside from that, we were able to create platforms in all local government areas. we have our members there; only that we don’t always make noise. They don’t even know us but we did a lot especially getting the youths to key into the movement and to see beyond just N500 Naira, small employment opportunity that can not take somebody beyond your stomach.
factualtimesng.com/17236-2/
The administration will be a year by May 29, do you think Kwarans have achieved the reason for the struggle?
Yes to a certain extent. According to this adage, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’. Those who have passed through the bridge of death will really appreciate what it takes to be alive. Yes, this state has passed through what I can call a situation where it seems all is not well. Though we are yet to get there, there is a sign of light at the end of licking tunnel because when you look at the previous administrations, that 16 years was nothing to me but a waste.
When people talk about 16 years of waste, I always like to probe further. Are saying they did not achieve anything. Are you saying they did not perform up to expectation? We need to be cleared.
Based on the information available to me and to those who have been able to probe deeper into the way Kwara was pre-2019 election, yes, all that we see as an achievement, are nothing but a daylight robbery, misplacement of priority, mismanagement of resources where what the people want is not what the leaders have done. What is Democracy? Government of the people, by the people and for the people. A government must be able to satisfy his people not satisfying himself. When you probe deeper into all these things! Look at Makunjuola’s report, though is not yet in the public domain, those of us who have flipped through the report, we discovered that a lot has gone wrong.
On Makunjuola’s report, I will take you up from there. You know at a point, your group agitated for the passage of the FOIBill but some groups and journalists in the state are agitating for the passage of FOIB but right now, your group seems not to be in support of the agitation at the moment.
At times, people do misconstrue our stand. There is every tendency for a group like ours to be misconstrued. You know when that issue of FOI Bill started with the Elites Network for Sustainable Development ENetSuD. They are the group that initiated the move, they worked on it. Though we were invited to the public hearing in the last dispensation. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it because we all know what the group passed through during the Otoge movement. Our convener was declared wanted so we couldn’t attend the sitting. But honestly speaking, FOIB is good. I keep on telling people that it is a good bill. I am a researcher, I write a lot. I have a work, it is presently on my table on Universal Basic Education as it is peculiar to Kwara state. So, I embarked on research work and I required some financial facts; and I have to use FOI Bill. You know the bill says the information must be provided. We are not opposing the bill but the way ENetSuD was going about it and we discovered that passing it at the state level is just paperwork, EFCC was not domesticated in Kwara state.
…EFCC is a federal agency just like Federal Inland Revenue Service…
Interviewee: But FOIB is a creation of federal government too. It is a federal bill. We thought it was a matter of domestication. We want to domesticate it. We all know what domesticate connotes? It is just like bringing it down to our level.
What is your assessment of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and lawmakers performance?
I don’t want to start from Governor because people will be Saying, we (Kwara Must Change) are friend of Ramoni (Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq), so they will say good things about him but sincerely our representatives at the national level haven’t really impressed me based on what am seeing. They are not doing their duties as expected. The Senator Representing kwara Central is doing well as we can see through the social media but still haven’t impressed me. I was expecting them to deviate from the old order, but it’s painful that wasn’t difference between the old and the lawmakers. There are alot of unemployed youths and am not saying they should build companies but with there position can facilitate jobs or collate their data. This covid19 period brought them out because citizens are disturbing them to provide things, its obvious they are not well prepared. I don’t want to mention names but imagine a senator dropping Semovita on the road; its not appropriate.
What about the achievement of Governor Abdulrazaq in area of infrastructural development?
Honestly his achievement has been encouraging but there are still room for improvement, especially on monitoring the contractors. He should ensure the kind of works they did for the previous Administrations must not be allowed during his time. Personally I don’t want this governor to fail because we did alot and if he fails we’ve all failed.
During last electioneering process majority of Kwarans weren’t really concerned about the candidate’s Qualities, they were all saying Otoge. Do you think this kind of thing would pay out during next election?
Otoge is an ideology, Meaning full stop. Putting a stop to whatever you are during that is not in the best of the citizens. Its works because people were tired of the past administration. Group of politicians embezzling what is meant for the citizens.But 2023 will surely be a different ball game entirely, because most of the candidates we blindly voted for might not be able to get party ticket. Although, I am not God but we will make it difficult for them to get return ticket due to low performance.
Looking at the crisis in APC what will be your advice to the Governor and the party leaders?
The crisis is unfortunate, because you will hear different things from Part A and part B but they should stop because it has started consuming party members already, and if care is not taken it might destroy the party. My own advice is that the governor should call the warring factions, provided it will not jeopardise the interest of the citizen.